<p>I'm deciding between Georgetown, Northwestern, and UChicago. I have no idea what I want to do. I have a feeling I wouldn't like UChicago because of its quirky and very academic atmosphere. I really love DC, and I know Gtown is pretty prestigious, but GTown is only 23 in rankings. Northwestern is in between (ranks 14, i think id enjoy it less than Gtown, more than UChicago) Should I even think about Georgetown's lower rankings? I guess I'm just wondering whether, since my parents are paying a lot of money, I should go to the highest ranked school? I would greatly appreciate you opinion on this. Thanks.</p>
<p>Absolutely not. Don’t just look at the rankings, as they are only general – of course Harvard is above Arizona State (for example). First, look at academics and what you want to study, then look at location. Also, it’s always best to go and visit the universities to get a feeling of the academics, student life, etc. But, even if you chose randomly, you really wouldn’t go wrong…</p>
<p>USNews is best used to make sure that you are acquainted with a wide spectrum of colleges & universities when you begin the college search process. It can be reasonably argued that any of the top 40 national universities in USNews is in the “top tier”, and, therefore, the only significant difference is how you & your interests fit with the school to determine which is the “top ranked” in your specific case.</p>
<p>there are sooo many more credible ranking systems out there! (see the various threads on CC concerning this!) the USNWR has gotten way out of control and is very distorted. look what it’s doing to you? you sound defensive over wanting a great school they rank a bit lower…WHO CARES!!! you are fortunate enough to be able to choose from wonderful schools, so do just that .YOU choose, not the scammers of USNWR! best of luck to you!</p>
<p>the short answer: not at all!!!</p>
<p>seriously, use your USNWR as toilet paper or just throw it out. It’s completely useless. Even the argument that it “is a great resource for people who are just beginning their college search” doesn’t hold much water with me. If you want a quick, easy way to get a feel for how prestigious or selective a college is, the Princeton Review, the Fiske Guide and others classify schools as opposed to ranking them.</p>
<p>Your misconception is using the word “only” next to #23. That’s just crazy talk. Georgetown is a highly ranked university in a great location, worth every penny. If you love DC, it’s an easy choice. You won the brass ring; grab it and don’t look back. </p>
<p>IMO, no one should be ruled by any rankings in a narrow sense. Look at them broadly to estimate the university’s peers, and its potential strengths and weaknesses. Look at the individual categories of data to point you to important information you may want to consider, or use as the basis of questions when you visit or interview. That’s all. It’s not something that should dictate your choice to you.</p>
<p>I really doubt that a #23 degree will look worse than a #9 degree.</p>
<p>It seems as if the general consensus is that the US News system is BS. Does anyone know of more reliable rankings, or should I just stay away from rankings completely?</p>
<p>US News is a good starting point, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. Nobody cares if you go to Princeton over Harvard, for example. If you go to Yale as opposed to Arizona State, then that’s another thing. General comparisons between the top and bottom are usually OK, but otherwise, I agree with tulsadem: it’s useless.</p>
<p>I think GTown, Northwestern, and UChicago are close enough in academic quality and “prestige” by any ranking system that it’s basically a moot point. You should decide based on other factors.</p>
<p>TUBA~ read above! look at tulsa’s post …excellent! Princeton Review and Fiske. also for purely student input, Insider’s guide and colle<em>e prow</em> _ r.</p>
<p>bump! thanks</p>
<p>There are over 1,500 universities in the US. There is no difference in quality between universities ranked within 15-20 spots of each other on the US New.</p>
<p>great point, alexandre. it’s easy to forget that the top 50 or even the top 100 national universities are a tiny percentage of all American Universities. so when people b<em>tch about going to a school that’s *gasp</em> only ranked in the 50s or 60s, that’s still a school that is at least in the top 5% or American colleges..albeit, according to the UNWR’s questionable methodology.</p>
<p>Here is a very funny spoof on the USNWR ranking system. Reading it will help keep you sane:</p>
<p>[Concurring</a> Opinions](<a href=“concurringopinions.com”>concurringopinions.com)</p>
<p>Wishing all of you all the best!</p>
<p>The rankings are calculated solely on objective numerical stats such as faculty–student ratio and percentage of classes with < 20 students. All these schools have quality of life and value-added aspects that the rankings have ignored - Georgetown has DC and its great social and internship opportunities, NW has the lakefront and Big Ten athletics, Chicago is perhaps the most intellectually-focused university on a dazzling campus. Consider the three to be academic equals and focus more on those subjective elements.</p>
<p>US News is the best ranking system available and it is pretty accurate. But all three of the schools you named are excellent and you should go to the schools that appeals to you most. If the difference in ranking were 40 positions, then I would be reluctant to go to the lower ranked school.</p>
<p>There’s not much difference between #15 - #49.
The ONLY time that rankings are important (assuming they are accurate) or talked about is by high school students and their parents prior to deciding on a school. Once you are in a school and subsequently graduate, they are useless.</p>
<p>Note: 20 years ago Duke would NEVER have been a school people thought of tops - Today many believe it is the “Harvard” of the South. Antioch was always a great school, but soon its graduates (like those from Parsons) won’t have a University to call their own as the school shuts down.</p>
<p>you all are mentioning ‘top tier’ as being the top 20…what is the consensus regarding schools like University of Miami and USC that are more in the 35-55 range? Are these too low compared to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, etc. to be considered top tier, and is the overall academic experience and value of degree going to be far less at the 35-55 schools?</p>
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<p>I’d say top 25 is the cutoff. It wouldn’t be odd to hear someone chose UVA over Columbia for personal fit or Vanderbilt over Brown. However, I think taking schools like U.Miami/Syracuse/Boston University/Fordham over Ivies would be a mistake (unless they are much cheaper/affordable).</p>